Thame Out The complimentary magazine for the Thame area
Fashion conscious
Long Crendon Manor Stables is home to Comhla. A small boutique showcasing how the world of fashion is changing – slowly but surely. Founder, Lucie Harrild explains more.
Under the mantra of ‘Buy Well, Mend, Extend’, Comhla brings together a collection of brands and services that mean we can all shop with a more sustainable mindset.
It’s all about celebrating having fewer, higher quality pieces that last a long time in our wardrobes plus taking care and extending the life of the clothes we already have. All the brands in Comhla’s Buy Well collection take great care of how they make their pieces and what they are made from – plus the shop and website offers a mending and alterations service along with a curated selection of quality preloved clothes. Comhla encourages customers to think about fabrics, quality, ethical production methods, and all the alternatives to buying too much low quality fast fashion – in a friendly and welcoming way!
Why Buy Well, Mend, Extend?
I noticed while working as a corporate sustainability consultant, that shoppers were engaging more and more with the ethical and environmental problems that surround fast fashion – but that genuine solutions were hard to find. Often it is difficult to work out whether the marketing hype is really as good as it sounds – greenwashing has now become a familiar term. So I created a ‘one stop shop’ – we really care about how new clothes are made – and sustainable fashion is also about clothes we
already own!
Let’s bust some myths about sustainable fashion.
Sustainable fashion isn’t stylish. Wrong! Often the founders of small sustainable fashion brands are ex-fashion industry professionals who have seen the dangerous effects of producing high quantities of low quality clothes that chase trends. They bring their keen design eye and their knowledge of fabric, pattern cutting and how to work with the best factories. The result is beautiful stylish pieces and plenty of choice.
Sustainable fashion is expensive.
You can’t buy new sustainable pieces at the same prices as fast and ultra fast fashion. But that’s the point – those massive brands produce high volume, low quality and cut as many corners as possible. However you’ll be surprised how closely priced sustainable and slow fashion pieces are to many high street and mid-priced brands. That’s what we aim for at Comhla. Good value and excellent quality. Our Preloved collection is well known brands at much lower prices and often barely worn.
Buying online is better.
Of course we all use online shopping to make life easier and faster. But nothing beats trying on clothes to make sure they really fit and suit us. Returns from online shopping with big brands can often end up in landfill – its just too expensive to get them back into the sales system. Shopping locally and with small businesses is a friendlier experience – both personally and for the planet.
Come and visit us at Long Crendon Manor Stables to see for yourself – don’t forget to grab a delicious coffee and a treat from Base Coffee, our business neighbours.
Brands include Pink Lemons, Sugar Hill Brighton, Mirla Beane, Turtle Doves and IngMarson – plus best sellers in the preloved space Mint Velvet, Me&Em, The White Company, Hush and more. We also have a range of jewellery, haberdashery, gifts, cards and candles.
You can read more articles like this one in the latest edition of Thame Out.
